


A Man's Descent Into Madness

by Lightgayber



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Other, Pre-Black Friday (Black Friday), Pre-Canon, The Black and White (Black Friday), how wilbur became wiley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25278490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightgayber/pseuds/Lightgayber
Summary: Wilbur Cross and how he became Wiley.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. From the white and into the black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur has his first meeting in the black and white

It starts and ends with the military. You grow up poor. You watch the news on your tv that you’ve had ten years. ‘The world’s first billionaire’ shown in big letters at the bottom of the screen. You look at him with a numb look on your face, you’re tired. The tv clicks off.

“The power’s out again.” you say to the empty room. No one responds, your mother is at work and your dad left a while ago. You’re in school, you have been for so long. Your need to try fights against your cynicism. You can't imagine affording to go to college. Even if you do somehow, you’ll work every day until you die. It's a daunting truth. You sign up for the military, they’re offering a pension and warm food. So it doesn't matter what you have to do. The ‘them or us’ mentality grows stronger.

You’re good at what you do. Good at following orders, even if you do hate them. You see people breaking down after their work is done. You turn on the radio and hear about a celebrity's new vacation home. You try your best to sleep that night, but you can’t control your thoughts. On the job you see something that no one should have to see. Good friends mauled by something you couldn’t even see. Just a flash and you’re at their memorial. A child is crying. You are too. 

The rich get richer, and the poor get buried

* * *

After the memorial you’re transferred to an unknown part of the US military. PEIP. Your studies on alternate dimensions are read throughout the headquarters. Later, you study the gap between them. You name it the black and white.

Soon after, you start to think. You could change everything if only you had help from another, better, you. You could achieve peace, there had to be a universe where everyone was happy. Where people were kind, and money was equal, and the government cared. There had to be a reality where you were content.

You go to the store. You see mass production spilling off the shelves, you buy yourself the latest new cereal. 

You heard on tv it came with a prize.

A young new protege emerges from the regular field agent roster. John Mcnamara. He cared about others in a way you understand. He believes in the goodness of humanity, of love and human connection. He sees the good in all people.

You teach him well. He grows to be a good man, and an even better general. 

The portal is close to completion now. You have been chosen as the man to take the first steps. All you have to do now is wait for it. Two and a half months later, January 2006. The world is still reeling from it’s latest tragedy. What's worse is that there's nothing you can do. The government doesn't care. You’re starting to think that even if you do find help out there, it wont work. The rich sit in their towers, watching from above. You are entertainment for them. Your life and your struggles are made for tv movies. 

You’re angry. People are dying but your work keeps you here. You’re barely paid enough money to keep your apartment. Aside from donating a few dollars every once in a while, you’re useless in helping. You speak with your head accountants and financiers. Maybe if we take some money out of our budget it will go to disaster relief programs. You make the transfer. One month later the United States Military uses the money to fund their weapons program. You rip out some of your hair. 

There’s nothing we can do about it now. That’s what everyone says. You tell them to fuck off. But you know they’re right. 

Today is the day you cross into the black and white. You give a speech, brief your home team, and suit up. You can’t get your anger out of your head. It’s the best day of your life. And yet, you know in your heart you will never get what you want.

The poor will keep getting buried, and the rich will build their towers on the graves.

You say goodbye to your mentee last. You tell him you are proud of him, and that today couldn’t have happened without him. He looks at you with sheer joy. For a second you feel as if his optimism is contagious. 

The second is gone. You are taken to a white room with a ring in the center.

They open the portal behind six inches of titanium steel. You hesitate, for years this is what you’ve wanted. But now that it's here…

You step out of the white and into the black. You enter the black and white and you see nothing but the lights of your suit. You’re ready to head back, you don't trust the silence.

“Are you going to be my new friendy-wend?” You hear, feet at the border of the portal.

You step back into the black. 

“Hello?” you shout. It seems as if all of your voice had been sucked into the vacuum of the medi-dimension. A second passes. So does another. You hear giggling.

“I think you’re going to be my bestest friendy-wend” The voice says again, halting at every word. It felt like whatever it was you were speaking to, wasn't used to talking. Or maybe, you were going crazy. Your family didn't have the best medical track record. It could have been stress. You walk further.

“Who’s there?” You yell, setting your transmitter to ‘record’.

“I want to help you.” 

Help me?

“What do you mean?” You say. Your voice grows hoarse, and a bead of sweat collects on your eyebrow.

“I want to help you create a happy place, a better place, where we can all be… pally wals.”

The bead of sweat drops. So does your stomach. You stumble over yourself. Facing the void. You see a hint of movement and you trip over the edge of the portal. You’re halfway into your reality. You see two eyes in the darkness and pull back. The eyes are gone, along with the rest of the black and white. Your vision fades into its own kind of darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! stay safe!!!


	2. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur wakes up after being unconscious for a week, he tries to remember what happened in the black and white

Your sight returns. You’re in a hospital bed. Your eyes sting, adjusting to the light. You assess your surroundings. A man is sitting in a chair near your hospital bed. It’s your protege, John. The only one waiting for you. You grunt, still groggy, and John looks up from his chair. You can see the exhaustion in his face. Has he been here long?

“Oh thank god you’re awake.” He says as he speeds to your side. You sit up, he motions for you to go back down. You stay sitting up. Now wasn't the time to follow orders. You’re glad that your stubborn nature survived the black and white. John waits silently, with worry in his eyes, he holds your hand, like you’re on the edge of death. You start to worry that you are.

“How’s it going buddy?” You sigh, breaking the silence.

“You’ve been asleep for five days Will.” He says, exhausted. He wipes the tire off of his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Must’ve slept through an alarm.” You comment flatly, trying to lighten his mood. He looks at you with a frown. Apparently this was not the time for jokes. He was serious, whatever had happened after you lost consciousness must have been bad. John was deathly protective, and that was what worried you. You flashback to the first contact you made in the black and white. You remember someone, something. Giant eyes, a horrible laugh. It wanted to help you. The only thing you can recall clearly is fear. Pure terror. It spoke in broken words and it laughed like, well it laughed like a prerecorded child’s toy. John gets one of the nurses and you wait for him to return. He looks at you with a wary glance, you see a glint of caution in his eyes.

* * *

Your doctor clears you to return home. John drives you to your apartment. He doesn't speak. Neither do you.

After a brief goodbye and an offer from John to stay, you close the door and let out a sigh. Alone in your tiny, cheap apartment. It’s dark and dusty, just like it was when you left it.

John looked so worried when you spoke. All you remember was who you met while in the black and white. Something bigger than you, that evoked fear. It said it wanted to help you… 

What the fuck happened while you were in there? You can't remember, you put down your things and turn on the news. Things haven’t improved in the last few days, you can tell that much. People are still losing their jobs, houses, families. The rich are still living it up without a care in the world. You’re drained, numb. The tv clicks off.

It's been a few weeks, and you haven't been cleared to go back to work. You beg John to keep the portal open. Research can't be held off all because of one worker. John disagrees, stopping all work on the black and white. You’re not surprised. He cares more about people than progress, even if that progress is good for everyone. You still wonder what could be out there,  _ who _ could be out there to help.

“John, I swear, I’m fine.” you plead into your phone’s receiver. You hear silence, then a sigh. John speaks sternly,

“No Will, I'm not letting you come back until I know everything is alright. And I am  _ not _ opening that portal again. Not without you.” You frown, it’s been a week and he’s still this insistent. How much longer can he keep this up?

“I'm worried, not just about the experiment, but about you. Blacking out for a week is never a good sign.” He says, sensing your frustration through your silence. You rub your eyes. Clearly this conversation isn’t going anywhere.

“What about the rest of us? Don’t they want results? Because you know that if we stop working the higher-ups will be on our asses about funding.” You rattle off excuses, hoping one will click.

“I’ve informed Schaffer about the halt in testing and she’s fine with it, you just need to relax. I promise, as soon as we can be sure that you’re okay we’ll start up again.”

You stay silent, too mad at him to respond professionally. 

“I have to get going, take care, Wilbur.” 

“You too.” you mutter. He hangs up, and you’re once again alone in your apartment. Standing in silence.

Your head goes back to your encounter. It was an anomaly, a hallucination at worst. It was impossible that anything could survive between dimensions for any amount of time. What could it have been? 

You close your eyes and try to remember. The room changes and you look down on yourself, an outside observer. Gigantic yellow eyes like floodlights trained on your person. You cast a long shadow. You get the sense that you cannot yet see this thing in its entirety. As if this thing was too big to comprehend… You feel a nauseating amount of dizziness and open your eyes. 

The portal is closed for now until you get back to work, maybe another week or two. You feel exhausted, the side effects of semi dimensional travel weren’t deadly, just strenuous. While you wait for your forced sick leave to expire, you go over your work. Of course, there was a possibility of life in different dimensions, but in the black and white? You hadn’t thought it possible. Whatever you had spoken to that day wasn’t like you, or anything else in your world. How powerful did you have to be to survive in there without protection? You wipe your eyes and check your watch. It’s late. you get ready for bed.

You fall asleep late, staring at the ceiling. You try to close your eyes, sinking into rest. The moon projects light into your room like a flashlight. 

“Have you considered my offer, Will?” A voice says. 

You sit up, looking around your small messy room, the dark shapes in the distance don't move. Your room is empty. There's only one other explanation of the sound.

“I’m going insane.” You sigh, resting your head and closing your eyes once again. You think of your work, slipping into a habit you never grew out of. It never calms you down, and it never helps anything or anyone. But you had to hope that one day your efforts would matter. Was that all you could do? Donate your last spare dollar to a charity. Sign a federal petition. You know it’s something but you want to do more. You  _ need _ to do more. Otherwise… you’re no different than those who put you in this position in the first place. You let out a deep breath and drift further into unconsciousness.

“Visit again! We’d all love to have you...” The same voice shoots through your skull. You open your eyes to the black and white. But there is no out of body experience. You’re there, in the flesh. And all eyes are on you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is up!! have a nice day!!


End file.
